초록 ▼

An improved system for administration of license terms for a software product on the network, having an arrangement, for tracking software product usage, with one of the computers acting as a license server. This arrangement permits the license server (i) to identify the current set of nodes that ar

An improved system for administration of license terms for a software product on the network, having an arrangement, for tracking software product usage, with one of the computers acting as a license server. This arrangement permits the license server (i) to identify the current set of nodes that are using the software product, (ii) to handle license data concerning conditions under which usage of the software product is permitted at any given node, and (iii) to determine whether at any given time the conditions would be satisfied if a given node is added to this set of nodes. The software product may thus include instructions to interface with the license server to cause enforcement of the license terms. The improvement, in one embodiment, to the system includes a policy server database maintained on each node, containing data specifying conditions under which usage of the software product is permitted on the corresponding node. Each node also has a policy server “daemon”in association with the corresponding policy server database, for (i) communicating with the license server, (ii) interfacing with both the software product and the corresponding policy server database, (iii) enforcing the license terms applicable to the software product at a given local node on the basis of both license policy maintained at the local node as well as applicable data from the license server.

대표청구항 ▼

An improved system, operative on a computer having a plurality of digital computers, each computer at a node, in communication with each other over a data path, for administration of license terms for use on the network of a software product with respect to the running of which on nodes of the netwo

An improved system, operative on a computer having a plurality of digital computers, each computer at a node, in communication with each other over a data path, for administration of license terms for use on the network of a software product with respect to the running of which on nodes of the network a number of licenses have been made available and each of a set of nodes may be caused to seek a license to run the software product, the system being of a type having usage tracking means, associated with one of the computers acting as a license server, for (i) causing storage of the number of licenses available for running the software product on nodes of the network, (ii) identifying the current set of nodes with respect to which a license has been granted to run the software product at a given time, and (iii) determining whether at any given time any licenses remain to be granted for permitting an additional node to run the software product, so that the software product may include instructions to cause enforcement of the license terms; wherein the improvement comprises: (a) a policy server database containing data specifying conditions under which usage of the software product is permitted on any given node; and (b) policy server means, maintained and operating locally as an independent process; from the software product, on each computer, with respect to which the license terms are to be enforced, in association with the policy server database, for (i) communicating with the license server, (ii) interfacing with both the software product and the policy server database, and (iii) making a permission-to-run availability determination, with respect to local usage of the software product, on the basis of applicable data from the license server and the policy server database, so that enforcement of license terms applicable to the software product at a given local node is achieved on the basis of both license policy maintained in the policy server database as well as applicable data from the license server.